They got in some trouble for this…
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Walmart is working to control outrage that was sparked after pro-Trump activists stumbled upon clothing reading “Impeach 45” on the company’s website.
Trump supporters began spreading the hashtag #BoycottWalmart after a photo of a baby’s outfit with the words “Impeach 45” went viral. The trend appears to have been started by Twitter personality Ryan Fournier, a Trump supporting youth.
. @walmart why are you selling Impeach 45 baby clothes on your website?????
What kind of message are you trying to send? https://t.co/PwI4nCVAZx
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) July 3,2018
Over time, the hashtag caught on and began trending. To combat the possible boycott, Walmart removed the clothing from their site and the link to the site where the outfits were for sale is no longer functioning.
I AM UPSET & ANGRY! A longtime Walmart shopper, today I quit over the sale of Old Glory Impeach 45 shirts. This offends me & many others. As a huge PRO American company, It is WRONG to politicize & be anti-US President with any product. Clean up your act #WALMART!! pic.twitter.com/u7hiAUHPGo
— Suzy Ferguson (@suzy_ferguson) July 3,2018
In a statement on Twitter, Walmart said that the items were not sold by the store, but by “third-party sellers.” They also announced that they were removing the items.
These items were sold by third-party sellers on our open marketplace and were not offered directly by Walmart. We’re removing these types of items pending review of our marketplace policies.
— Walmart Newsroom (@WalmartNewsroom) July 3,2018
This isn’t the first time that Walmart has waded into controversy for the attire that they sell on their site. They were among many online marketplaces that stopped selling apparel with the Confederate flag in 2015. At the time, the nation was in the midst of a debate about removing the flag from the state capitols in some southern states.
As an online marketplace, Walmart has to work hard to ensure that they’re not sending the wrong message with the merchandise that they offer. In 2014, they famously removed “ fat girl costumes ” from their site after those outfits sparked outrage.
President Trump’s staunchest supporters have been known to boycott companies and organizations with messages that run contrary to their views. After a wave of companies severed ties with the National Rifle Association, Trump supporters were outraged and social media was flooded with videos of people blowing up their Yeti coolers — Yeti was one of the companies that distanced themselves from the NRA.
Walmart still sells plenty of pro-Trump attire, including plenty of clothing bearing the president’s “Make America Great Again” motto.
Alex is a Washington DC based contributor. He is from Delaware and holds a degree in English from Salisbury University. Find him on Twitter @AlexThoma… more
